Taylor ears were up by 9 weeks! her teeth werent out but those ears were pricked really young! now Trigger is 12 weeks and only one is half up and half down! I battle to remember the details of Taylor's changes and i was wondering the age everyone elses puppies ears stood up!

I have trimmed excess hair off his ears to make them lighter and I know they will go up but he looks like such a duckling at the moment! I am a firm believer in NEVER taping a yorkies ears, it seems unnatural to me (sorry to anyone else who believes otherwise).

is he following a normal sort of growth / development pattern? I know every yorkie is different and the main reason I ask is because his dad had very pointy ears but his mom had softer looking ears that weren't standing upright...but she also had full hair on her ears which i know makes them heavy

If I were you I'd immediately tape his ears! As a breeder I've noticed that some ears take longer than others to stand up. I tape my puppies around the age of 4weeks. With my second yorkie I've bought, the breeder never taped her ears, and I didn't know about taping the ears because the first one's ears stood up by itself. Now unfortunately her ears hang permanently and it's a fault!!

It really doesn't hurt them to tape the ears!! Even if you shave all the hair off, it still needs that support so it can grow strong enough to stand up straight when they are younger. That's just my opinion! I'd rather not take the chance especially because his mom's ears aren't up! It should stand up when fully grown, even if the hair on the ears are long.

It is very easy. Here is a link for you to read up on it and an illustration :

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I think if you rub his ears quite often they will eventually stand up. Pepper's were both up by 12 weeks but I was so paranoid that they wouldn't so I spent hours just rubbing them! The vet told me to do that instead of taping them.

That's interesting! Never knew you could do that!!

I've heard that some breeders glue it together but that's a bit cruel to my! Maybe because I don't know how to do it!

Glue them together!!! Oh my! That does sound cruel!!

I think they will stand on their own but im just getting frustrated! one is up, it has a small dent in it still but it's up the other one is trying! I will give him another week or so and see what happens!

Im not a fan of taping it just seems unnatural to me

I do not tape my puppies ears and the girls ears on my first litter stood up quickly at about 6-7 weeks but Adam's only stood up at around 14 weeks. I don't know if it is a boy thing, they always being slower than the girls. My new litter the little girls ears never went down and the little boy's are down. I do believe that they will stand but with a mother with ears not up I would consider taping as well. Glue them together - NEVER IN MY LIFE!!!!!!!!! That is just cruel.

I will put a picture of the mother in my gallery - i battle to load a picture in the forum for some reason. maybe im just being blonde!

his ears are standing though, it's just taking longer than i thought. But Taylor's were up like pins by 9 weeks old. then again she never had any teeth until almost 11 weeks whereas Trigger had a full set of sharp teeth by 7 weeks. So they are definitely developing at different rates. Im not too worried, was just wondering. perhaps it IS a boy thing!

I don't think you should be worried. June's ears took very long to stand and when they did eventually, one stayed down for a while longer. But I just kept the hair on them very short and now they are standing perfectly.

I have nothing against taping if it is done right. I've just never had to do it. If a yorkie is bred correctly and no drop eared parents are used, your yorkie's ears should stand.

It is a recessive gene (ee) for drop ears that may cause a Yorkie's ears to stay down. When one parent have the recessive (even though they have erect ears: Ee) and the other's ears are dropped (ee), half the puppies will have drop ears (ee) and the other two will carry the recessive gene (Ee) - causing more puppies to be born with drop ears.

Sorry for the science, I'm just trying to say that if a puppy is born with this gene, his ears will never stand, no matter how much you tape and glue and shave. Maybe you can contact the breeder and ask her about Trigger's ancestors? That may give you a better idea of what is going on.

Also, even when their ears have gone up, they may drop when they are teething. This is nothing to worry about though. The ears will stand again.

This is interesting Marilize, thanks for the info

Very interesting. Never knew that!!

Im not terribly worried, I just wondered if i was rushing it! lol!

Very interesting though! I have never sen a Yorkie with floppy ears to be honest and I dont think his mom's were completely floppy...im trying to remember! I think i was so excited i paid more attention to him and not his mom!

time will tell I guess

I tape ears...and after a couple of days they stand. Teething can also affect them and then they may flop again. At this stage its usually a temporary thing but when they are with me..I shave and tape if necessary quite early on
This was taken from a show breeder who I really respect

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Quote:
Originally Posted by angelbaby's mom
When you say "trained" do you mean taped? My mentor's vet said NOT to tape them, because then they (the puppy) won't use the ear muscle to stand. He told her that it will actually weaken the muscle and can cause just the opposite effect. . . . ? None of the owners of Gracie's pups or Angel's pups taped their ears, and all 6 have erect ears.

I thought that was strange, because it goes against what I read on here all the time.


Your mentor's vet is incorrect. Some pups need assistance, especially during the teething period.....calcium is being used up by teeth and bones.....Therefore, at times the ears need shaving to keep the weight from breaking down the cartilage, at at times need taping.

If you visit some of the top breeder exhibitor's websites and these are well known respected breeder's they have instructions on taping ears.

The Yorkshire Terrier Magazine has articles on taping from time to time.
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I'm in 2 minds about it seriously

I would not tape the ears! Both my yorkies ears were standing up when I got them, the one,s ear flopped at about 10 weeks and I taped it but took it of immediatly because I did not feel good about it, the ear went up on its own at about 13 weeks. So I would just leave it.

That's how I feel - I feel it is unnatural to force it. his ears are going up slowly. And if they don't ever stand then that is how he is meant to be. I really hope they do go up though! I was looking at pictures of Taylor when she was a puppy and hers were up by 9 weeks!

I got very excited yesterday because he was sitting and looking up and me and his ears were pin straight! my heart leaped! but it was the angle he was looking at me from as he ran off, the one flopped again!

So funny, the same thing happened when Tammy,s ear flopped, also was the way she was sitting. I felt the same way, if it stayed floppy I would have loved her just as much. I battle with potty training, both of mine are 5 months, but when I take them out they want to eat grass and dig holes, but wait until they come inside to poo. Wil pee ouside when I take them and on news papers but still have many accidents on carpet neext to bed and floor. Also eats their own poo, so frustrating!
l

The only way I overcame the potty training issue was by making Taylor spend more time outside during the day. and I still dont have it right at almost 10 months old. At night we let them sleep inside of course, but we leave the door open and latched so they can go outside. but she will not go outside and get her feet cold for anything in the world.

If i am at home during the day there are no accidents at all though because she knows better. And is kind of teaching the new puppy some manners to a certain extent!

There was a post about them eating their poo last week i think.

I gave up with newspaper and puppy pads because mine find it more fun to rip them than pee on them! the puppy is obsessed with weeing on anything soft like the bathmat or carpets so we have to pick them all up and keep our bedroom doors shut.

Yorkies are clever but super self willed and stubborn and they need firm training. by firm I dont mean hitting them (I dont believe in that at all), i mean they need to have a clear boundary between right and wrong and stick to the rules no matter how cute their puppy eyes are! Consistency is key. if they come in after being outside and wee they need a firm "NO" and to be sent outside again in my opinion.

the potty training issue will be a never ending one in Yorkie forums! has anyone got in 100% right?!

Thanks for your advise, problem is I dont feel comfortable leeving them outside on their own yet, so I will go outside with them and stay for 30 min or so, but they will be so buzy with eating grass etc they dont poo. Dont know if it is bad for them to eat grass, does yours do it as well? I am at home so I do take them outside but really feeling I am getting no where. My puppies are still not walking around freelly but are confined, the one only weighs 800 grams, and I dont want to let them go in and out on their own and also Ive got stairs. They also tear the newspapers, especially when I go out, because then I have to leave them in a room with toys and newspapers to pee on, but then they are angry to be allone and tear the papers in a million peases. Dont know of another option.

Wow, two 5 month old babies! I've heard that it is much more difficult if you get them together as puppies. If one is older and trained already, he teaches the others. With two naughty puppies, I can understand that it is frustrating!
They must be so cute, though!!! :clown: